Marine Le Pen is the leader of the far rightist National Party. She is almost a Trump replica, without the money bags of Donald. The lady was in Lebanon as part of an image-building exercise. She had a scheduled meeting with the Grand Mufti. As she went for the meeting she was handed a shawl to cover her head. Marine just handed the shawl back and immediately left in her car without meeting the Mufti.
Later she did have meetings with the prime minister and the foreign minister. She has extreme positions on Muslim refugee migrants and also believes that France would be better if it left the European Union.
These are the opinions of Donald as well. The leader of the NP is a candidate in the coming elections in France for the presidency.
Meeting with the Mufti
The Mufti is a Sunni and as per information provided by his office had informed that the meeting would take place only if she covered her head according to the protocol in force by the Dar al-Fatwa. Marine, however, contests this version and claims she was not aware that she would require covering her head. She also said that she had met the Grand Mufti of Egypt of Al-Azar without a head cover. She says that she had assumed that similar protocol would be followed in Lebanon. She was clear that she will not accept a fait accompli.
Playing to the gallery
The act by Marine was basically for consumption back home in France to bolster her position. With terror acts on the increase in France and the awareness that the Muslim migrants are the main culprits, has seen her ratings going up. She has suddenly come in the reckoning, though Gallup polls do not give her any chance to win the presidential election.
Marien is in some trouble as the police are investigating that she misused the funds allotted to her by the EU parliament. Her apartment was also searched by the police.
Islamophobia
France is in the grip of Islamophobia and common people do not want any more migration of Muslims. Marine is playing on the fears of the population and hoping that she will be able to swing the pendulum in a big way towards her.
There is no doubt that her rhetoric has won for her a sizeable following.
Her visit to Lebanon was to show that she has a good grasp of International matters. Maybe the incident with the Grand Mufti was staged. It certainly appealed to her supporters.
